Himalayan Adventure Part Two

 

Himalayan Adventure

Part Two

 Road to Gispa

Day 1 On the road Monday 9^th September.

Bunked in with Jiban, who I was to share with for this trip, we get on well and were both up early to enjoy a fine day. The clouds were lifting as the sun was spreading down the valley. It was going to be a fine day. Jiban got some tea brought `to the room and we looked out from our first floor balcony. This was the Marigold Hotel in Manali. Not sure if it was the best but it was fine for us you had to use a padlock to secure the door when leaving the room.

 Ready for the day with the cases packed and in the foyer to be loaded on the back-up truck and time to go for breakfast. I had tea, two boiled eggs and toast and took two more eggs for lunch. My plan was the travel on chai and boiled eggs and not eat any street food otherwise my diet would have to include Imodium. My haversack contains all the travel stuff, water, eggs, lip balm, suntan cream “Poo Kit”, One piece waterproof over suit, camera, pullover, jerry can hip flask full of brandy, spare gloves and over trousers. This was strapped to the rear carrier of the bike with one long bungee cord wrapping it around until it all felt secure. I was wearing a bum-bag that had passport, visa and money in a sealable plastic bag. All this in case I took a tumble in a water fall and got soaked. Having found my Himalayan in the bike park we were given numbers for our group. I had a choice and chose 89 which is 68 up-side down. Not one I would have normally chosen but apt I thought. It was stuck on the front mudguard. With some trepidation I waited with all the gang to get ready and taking auspicious photos before firing up the bike and starting the procession out of the town.

 Down the steep slope around the tight turn, made another horlicks of that one again. The road was just wide enough but it was a concrete platform and no room for error as it had no barrier and a two foot drop off. Then through the town centre, down the hill, along by the river, across the bridge and up the other side. Much the same route as we had taken last evening. Out of the town I stopped to take a few photos. The scenery looked Tyrolean with trees and mountains. Still very green even though Manali is 6726 feet above sea level. The group stopped regularly to keep together and with an hour we had stopped for a break. A drink of water and buy some biscuits and chocolate at the cafe-cum-shop. I had put the eggs in the side pocket of the haversack. Unfortunately the bungee cord had cut across the pocket and turned one of the eggs to mush so to make things tidy I ate it. I put the remains of the biscuits and chocolate in the top of the haversack when we moved off. There was more picture taking of the gang with the mountains as the back drop.

 Progress was slow as we wound our way higher and higher. On one stretch there was a white horse walking along a path that was coming up from the valley to my left not far away. My lapse of concentration had me straying off the tarmac at the edge of the road and on to the dirt got my mind focussed again and raised the heart rate a bit. There was a steep bank to the path where the horse was. A quick pull on the bars and I was back on the black stuff again. Jiban was following and said later about me straying off the road. It was sharp reminder that you have to have your wits about you all the time. We climbed and climbed passing through short areas where the tarmac had been washed away leaving rocks and mud that was so fine and made the road very slippery. Climbing still we rounded a bend and were at Rotanghi pass at 13051 feet. It was sunny and warm. My first activity of walking at that altitude left me a bit breathless. I would have to take things slowly for a bit. At the pass were the usual shrines and pennants along with traders selling food, drink and fruit. Corn seemed to be the favourite and there were a number of places roasting cobs on open fires. There were allot of people there. 

It was around lunch time and I thought I would have chunk of chocolate. It was warm in the sun and had had turned the chocolate to liquid. I scooped most of it out of the wrapper and used a tissue to clean it off the inside of the haversack. I won’t do that again. After the pass the road had its ups and downs but we were still going higher. 

On some of the bends the tarmac had gone leaving rubble and puddles. The spring snow melt had washed the tarmac away and the military were up there repairing the damage. It was only at this time of year was it dry enough to repair the road. There were convoys of military lorries full of soldiers doing just that. Where the road was being repaired there were more lorries than space causing long queues that, on bikes, did not slow us down but the filtering was interesting running close to the edge of the road with little room for error. It made my experiences of filtering on the M25 like a pleasant Sunday afternoon ride in the country. The roads to our first overnight stay were better with fewer puddles and mud patches. The mud was the fine silt from the rocks as they are eroded by the climate. This is also what makes the river water blue. The last forty kilometres were on good roads and didn’t take long. We went through the small town of Gispa at 10500 feet and along the river until we were waved down to descend a cart track. It was bumpy and rutted and not nice at the end of the day. At the bottom of the track and next to the river was our camp site where we were to stay the night. I parked my Himalayan with the other bikes in a line near the rivers’ edge.

 It was quite flat but narrow with not enough room to ride a bike through a turn. In the main tent hot tea was waiting for us and time to get the brandy out of the haversack. I had two. It was agreed that the brandy I bought would be kept for chai and emergencies. The backup truck arrived with our suit cases and we were allocated our tent for the night. It was pleasant by the river listening to the roar seated on garden chairs beneath a gazebo sipping from whatever bottle that was being passed around, but as soon as the sun went down so did the temperature. Once in the tent I unpacked a thick jumper, scarf and beanie. We were to share a double bed and the tent had an en suite in the next compartment. A proper loo that was on a concrete plinth that you had to step up to, a sink with only one tap and the usual bucket and jug to wash with. No hot water until the morning. Water went away through the ground. The floor had a bit of carpet on but was mostly fine chippings. I could have done with flip flops or slippers.

 Dinner would be served when cooked. Outside the main tent a large bonfire was keeping everyone warm, except me. I stayed warm in the main tent sipping now and again from the hip flask and writing up my notes of the day. I was tired and as soon as I had eaten I retired to the tent to get some rest. This is when I discover the mattress is standard Indian and rock hard. I had put on a thick pair of woollen socks when I changed into my pyjamas. I kept my scarf and beanie on. The bed was freezing. I don’t sleep well on a hard bed as my shoulders tend to seize up if I turn on my side. Cold and uncomfortable it was around 1:30 in morning that I finally got the bed warm and, according to Jiban I was snoring from three until day light. He did not sleep a wink    .

Cold night in Gispa  140km . Tuesday 9th September

Himalayan Adventure Part One

 

Himalayan Adventure

I started writing this journey in September 2019 and it has previously been published. I have just been contacted by Ravi, co-founder of Eden Riders and Tours. info@edenriders.com, for some video clips of that trip. I have sent him a Youtube reference for the short I made. https://youtu.be/uqrUP6HbNGw?si=fC55ip5vOLFnJB4u 

 I have also 60GB of video clips as well. The result of conversations is that you are getting a condensed version with video clips to get a taste of my adventure in 2019.

Part One

 Going to Manali

 You know that you can get carried away with an idea and all I wanted to do was have a bike ride in India perhaps Goa to Tamil Nadu in pleasantly warm weather. Staying in hotels every night and avoiding street food that would keep you running on Imodium for days and basically having a taste of Indian roads and traffic riding in a group and being generally looked after. A good friend, Jiban, asked if I would like to go with a group of his friends on a road trip in India. I said yes straight away with dreams of Goan sunshine and nice beaches. People who know me are aware that I had been to Goa before and knew what to expect. The guys were having a get together to start off the arrangements. This was in early April and we met at the Millionaires in Langley around 2pm on a wintry afternoon that gave us some snow showers. I arrived on the Kawasaki as it was a bikers meet. As usual I was one of the first and was introduced to all the guys. Harmit, who was taking the lead on making the bookings for flights and the bike trip. He had been on this trip at the end of last season and enjoyed it so much that he wanted to do it again with all his friends. On that first meeting I met everyone but it took me ages to get all their names right. They used nick names too so half the time I had no idea who was being talked about. At a quick glance they all looked about half my age. I can do a softies bike ride with these guys as there was only one who rode a bike regularly. As the meeting went on it was dawning on me that it may not be quite an easy ride we would be riding up to over 18300 feet and I wondered if I would be able to cope with the altitude living almost at sea level. It would be alright. They said they would look after me. We were going to Ladakh. I had no idea where this was but had a reference for the Eden Riders and would look it up when I got home. Harmit was asking questions about bikes to ride 500 Bullet Classic or Himalayan. The Himalayan was more expensive by a few pounds a day. I chose a Himalayan as it was a relatively new model and would have fuel injection, better to cope with the altitude. I looked up the trip with Eden Riders and there was little information about the condition of the roads and possibly an occasional “Water Feature”. After discussions with Gita she agreed to me doing the trip as I would be with friends.

 Jiban and me arrived together in Delhi and took a taxi to the hotel, Bhonti , sister-in-law, had arrived to welcome me and gave me some much needed cash. We were soon seated at the table and introduced to all the guys, Harmit, Jiban, Rahul, Sagar, Deepak, Saket, Vickram, Himanshu and his brother Rinku. Now we were all together it was time to get on the bus for our overnight journey to Manali. It was a long journey out of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. Arrival time in Manali was supposed to be eleven AM but it was close to Four when we arrived forcing us to scramble to the hotel room unpack our gear and be ready to ride our chosen bikes on a test ride around Manali. I was pleased to be back at the hotel safe after having my first motorcycle ride in India in the dark with my new friend the Himalayan. I got cleaned up and missed the boys going out for the meal.  I acquired a lift from Sham, one of the mechanics on the back of his Enfield and caught up with them at the restaurant in tee shirt, shorts and sandals for an evening of bonding. Excited to start our ride.

 

October 2026

 

October 2026

 

October is Durga Puja time. An Indian religious festival that brings the community together. From Friday 15^th to Sunday 17^th.  Gita and I went to one in on Friday in Chertsey and Slough on Saturday. Similar but not the same and each event unique. Meeting old friends at each. I have been busy doing different things, missing the Observed Sunday going to Barnsley for the commemoration of Rama’s wife, Sashi, passing away one year ago. Age is not on his side and we must spend time with him while we can.

It seemed the beginning of the month Health checks and screening intervened along with dental appointments then good friend from the LE Club Chris was ill in hospital. This took away some free time with a visit and several phone calls to check his progress. All is well and he is now home and back at Whitewebbs Museum. They have some new exhibits there and I am need of another visit. I managed a short trip on the Buell to test the remapping of the ECU. It showed a marked improvement with better acceleration and pick-up. How much extra fuel is being used now I will have to wait and see as the weather has now turned colder and wetter. So much so I missed the LE Club night to stay warm.

I have been contacted by Ravi from Eden Tours who organised and lead the Himalayan Adventure in September 2019 and my posting was quite short covering the whole tour in that one posting. As I was then writing for The London Motorcycle Museum in “Something for the Museum” which closed shortly after I returned from that trip it was not appropriate to do more in that Blog. Contact from Ravi reminded me of that epic journey. At the time it was too big an article to post and I had not written it yet. When I did write it, it was quite long and published in three motorcycle magazines. MAG Open Road, Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists, Intercom and the Velocette LE club, On the Level. Not all at the same time, but over a period of a few years. The article contained 13,500 words, that’s about 25 sides of A4, so I think it deserves another visit as my Arunachal trip has generated such interest. Memories resurfaced when I was contacted by Ravi, co-founder of Eden Riders and Tours. info@edenriders.com, for some video clips of that trip. I have sent him a Youtube reference for the short I made.

 https://youtu.be/uqrUP6HbNGw?si=fC55ip5vOLFnJB4u 

 I have also 60GB of video clips as well. The result of conversations is that you are getting a condensed version with video clips to get a taste of my adventure in 2019.I have spent a week looking at my videos of this trip and deciding which ones to include for this series of postings

I have had the cover for the El Cid damaged by foxes and needed repairing. I ordered material for it and needed the help of Coops, who made it originally, agreed to do the repair when we both have time.

It is the time of year to tidy up the garden before winter weather makes too wet and cold to do much outside. I have been converting hardwood chairs into plant stands to make space in the lean-to and have somewhere to put pots to get them off the ground.  Mentioning ground and walking around the local park you see some interesting wildlife. One day it was a hedgehog traversing the same path. It was being harried by a magpie. My approach scared it away and after taking a few photos the hedgehog was gone too. This is the first time I have seen one in many years.

  

I monitor my blogs to see the number of page views and September recorded 6640 and October 6504 I am pleased with how many people view the blog and I appreciate your comments even though I rarely respond. Thank you for your interest. It is what keeps me going.

September 2026

 

September 2026

 

After getting home from Spain I set about  doing a repair on a suitcase. It was a dual head zipper type that one zipper had failed. The other one was still good. It was how to get one zipper to do all the functions and still lock. The answer was to move the lock so it could. A couple of hours and it was done and the suitcase was again functional with a small aluminium plate covering the original lock hole.

The first Sunday of the month was almost a week into September. Another warm pleasant day for a ride on the Buell. Spent some time taking  pics of the bikes in the car park to record the event for the club. It was a nice social day with allot being spent in the club shop that kept me busy.

Monday was MOT day for the Kawasaki  at West London Triumph or Jack Lilley’s when it was in Ashford and did their bit to support the London Motorcycle Museum when it was open.  The Kawasaki passed its MOT. I was just as busy on Tuesday when it was the turn of the Citroen C3 Aircross. I got it early so I could  arrange future MOT’s in August ahead of the road tax. It passed its MOT too.

At the end of the week Gita went off to India to see her mum and I went off to Norfolk to meet up with my brothers Barry and Adrian. Last year I went in the El Cid and left the C3 at home for Gita to use. This year I had such luxury and with good weather and  no drama. Martham Boat Yard was the driest I had seen. Welly’s  not required for walks as in previous years. The week was another one of a bit of sailing,  cruising with the electric out board and visits to local pubs like the Kings Arms and just down the road  to the Nelson Head for evening meals.

Last year I was not well enough to venture to the Norfolk Motorcycle Museum . Feeling better I ventured to North Walsham  during the week . I met up with Steve who has now become the main person on the desk and spent a long time talking  about the state of the museum and the trends he is finding about his visitors. Life is changing as is the interest in the content of the museum. Things are definitely turning  Japanese.

Walking into Potter Heigham has become more pleasant along the river bank on the wide grass walk way instead of the path which was usually flooded. New places have opened  up there with the Latham’s store being the centre of the metropolis amply supported with pubs that do good beer and food. Surprise to find the  eminently quaffable Hobgoblin Gold Ale on draught.

Going home I made a detour to Kings Lynn. Not for the Adrian Flux Arena but to see Phil who was one of our stalwart members of the LE Club who recently moved there. An enjoyable stop with  new house and garden inspection before travelling home. Hope to see him again on my next visit to Norfolk.

With Gita still away in India I took up an invitation  to attend the 50 years awards at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Cold Bath Square. I met a few friends and colleagues and talked to many people who had met or worked with people I knew. It was a very pleasant few hours of nostalgia. The reason for attending was to receive my 50 year award and being a Fellow of the Institute and Chartered Scientist and  have Diploma in Medical Laboratory Management.

 All that adds up to a FIBMS, Ch Sci, and DMLM and I managed to do it while Motorcycling, Skiing and that includes skidoos and a very small amount of ice skating. All of which you can break  bones with and have.

August 2026

 

August 2026

 

The first weekend is Wey Valley Advanced  Motorcyclists Observed Sunday. This Sunday I use the Kawasaki. I discovered a fuelling problem on the Buell and will need to get it looked at before doing any miles. This Sunday was a pleasant day to ride on. A bit cooler than the blisteringly hot weather we have had. T he Buell gets too hot to ride in these conditions in traffic. I need to be doing fifty not to get burned with the heat from the exhaust. A week later I visited Snobs to have the mapping checked and  took it away to check the changes. I will need to do more miles to see the difference.

 

It was much better. I spent several days writing and posting Coast to Coast in time to go on holiday again with the grandchildren in Spain. There were three birthday’s while were away Gita, Ena and Ivy. There was allot of celebrations and special things done in Barcelona with a big breakfast at “Billy Brunch” and a visit to the Planetarium. I was impressed by the way it was laid out and by how a rain forest is portrayed. There was a visit to the Sagrada area for many street displays that happen each year with the best display getting recognition and a prize. We saw a portrayal of Harry Potter, a battle scene from Lord of the Rings and the life of a fly.

In a few days the family took the afternoon ferry to Mallorca and  hired a car to get us to a remote villa. The ferry took nearly four and a half hours and we only just got to the hire place   in time before it closed at eight in the evening. Gita chose to drive following  Isaac and  Ivy. Mallorca is not that big an island but it took nearly an hour to get to the villa. It was at the other side of the island to the ferry port and airport of Palma.

 The quietest  place you could retreat to and I spent lots of time reading  beside the pool. There were numerous visits to local beaches and a visit to the town of Palenca with its’ church on a hill and three hundred and sixty-five steps to get to it and an Indian restaurant just off the square to have lunch in between rain storms. Having returned to the villa  and finding Youtube available we watched our video of 2025. It is a comedy by Nisha Kalita commenting on how the tourists are ripped off  by traders. Gita and I played the unsuspecting tourists with a happy ending.

Last day Isaac and Ivy with the grandchildren went to the port for the return ferry to Barcelona and we went to Palma after vacating the villa. We spent the whole day visiting the historic features in the old town before eating  in a new style restaurant, Organic, just around the corner from the car park. After dropping the hire car off at the airport our flight was delayed by an hour making it nearly midnight before taking a taxi home.

Bank Holiday weekend was the Assam Day event held each year by the UAAUK charity. This year Gita was invited to dance and went to Nottingham  and Eastwood Hall in the Burton. It was a very wet drive and there were delays all the way making the one hundred and thirty miles a four hour marathon. Gita was first to dance on the Saturday and did a new composition from  her mentors, Dipjyoti and Depankur put to a song sung by Zuben Garg. Sunday was even better with her performing a classical Sattriya dance before a very special performance  of the story of Rama’s wedding. It is a classical story because his wife is kidnapped on the day of the wedding and the performance follows  his quest to find her and bring her home. This is a very special play from Indian history and is the first time presented in the UK. All organised by Madhurima. An exceptional lady with amateur cast from  members of the Assam Association. It is something worth seeing.

We had a very social weekend talking to old friends who, after reading my article in the Assam Association magazine could not believe I had  ridden a bike in Arunachal on such an arduous journey. The journey home in the Burton took just as long with just as many delays on the Monday but it was in sunshine nearly all the way and a tail wind to help us on our way.

Le Petite Van Gris Part 9

 

Le Petite Van Gris 9

 

It has been a long time since I have done anything on or for the van. I have been told more than a year. It started with the question “Are you going to the World meeting in Slovinia this Year?” The answer was no. I had been out of sorts not fussed about doing anything. I did not have the drive. Where had my Mojo gone? But there was a spark. Some parts were coming by friends who I did not know yet. Little parcels, and some bigger ones found their way to me as if by magic. I had travelled around the country picking up parts and delivering them. They have their own stories but the thought of movement on the parts front galvanised me into action. I progressed on making contacts to obtain other parts I needed and successful purchases ensued. Although not ideal they got me to where I needed to be. Some were found for me and I picked them up the suspension cans from Martyn at Cotswold Classics. They are Ami eight and the right size and useable but the spring tension was not high enough but it would give me useable system until I could get the right ones. Some suspension is better than none. I will leave them in the cans for now and not use the naked fitment supplied by Louis Barbour in the 4X4 set up. The suspension cans are in quite good order and I am loath to destroy them for appearances. Progression on finding a suitable GSA gearbox took a little longer meant a trip to Kenilworth to pick it up then delivered to ECAS in Stoke where a member of the racing team was going to deliver it to Louis at the 24 hour 2CV race in Francorchamps, Belgium. The next stage in my 4X4 transmission was taking shape. I suspect it will be a few months before it will be ready. I have now collected my 2CV gearbox from Ric Pembro with the transfer box attached.  Watching Ric do the last piece of assembly was enlightening with much valued information. It is now sitting in my garage ready for fitting. It is now April 2026.

 Moving on to summer and the heat of July and waiting for the rear differential which is the last major part. I thought I could use the suspension cans on the chassis. I tried it and after about a week and much faffing about I found there was a disproportionate weight distribution with the front sticking in the air with no height at the rear. I had to go to Louis set up and cut the end off the can, using an angle grinder removing just the weld, and just use the springs and pullers. All this being done while under the van. I still have to find the correct adjustment and I have the feeling I will need to shorten the rear pull rods to get the right height at the rear.

July 2026

 

July 2026

 

First Sunday of the month again is the Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclist meeting “Observed Sunday.”  It is also a social gathering for a bacon or sausage or  sandwich  and  tea or coffee and a reason for getting out to see your mates on a Sunday morning. This time I arrived on the Buell and great to be out on it again and feeling strong enough to ride it. I met a guy and his wife in the car park while I was photographing the bikes complaining that he had given up riding out of fear from his wife of  him getting hurt. His confidence was ebbing at a youthful age of sixty. My response was to get out there and enjoy while you can. I ride a big bike and I’m Seven-four. What is your problem? I had  no answer for his wife’s fear. Not foundless but not rational. If he has enough skill to survive this long then why should he not continue to do so?

A surprise meeting a few days later was an extraordinary meeting to elect a new chairman for the club. Unfortunately his domestic environment meant he could no longer be chair and had to resign. Shame, he was doing a great job. There were two candidates for the post, both equally capable but it was personality and visibility that won the day. Another ride out on the Buell in glorious evening weather.

I have been working on the van suspension and that will be covered in its own posting.  Another ride on the Buell to the LE club night at the Land of Liberty. Peace and  Plenty for another social evening and discussing riding techniques with Antony. Not long after that evening I took the Buell to Snobs for a bit of fuel remapping as the pick-up was a bit slow. It was better but will need more fettling.

Having had the fuse box problem with the Burton I ordered a replacement on line then spent half a day crawling upside down under the dash board to get to the wiring. The fuse box was slightly damaged from the heat. I felt it was prudent to have replaced  it.

Now in between there was some DIY to bedone. Replacementof the lights in the downstairs toilet with repair to the ceiling. That took days filling the broken plaster on each light fitting. Restoring the roundness and size to take the new lights. A coat of paint before fitting the lights to finish the job. I checked the extension  roof for breaks in the leaded drain channel which had joints in the lead that had leaks over last winter. Now it was dry it was a good time to check it. That meant climbing on the extension roof.  It was only a single storey so manageable with a step ladder. Another coat of bitumastic pain over the joint to make it more weatherproof. In a visit by the grandkids the finger lock on the French doors was damaged  in the hot weather. The finger lock lever got bent when the opened door was closed by the wind. To close the door the lever had to be straightened and it broke in the process.  Easy to order on line and fit the replacement.